Hermione burst out from behind the curtain, eyes wide with fright. "I have to tell Kat and Draco," she moaned. "Oh, but I have to tell Dumbledore, too! Oh, what am I going to do?!" she wailed.

"What are you going to do about what?" Kat asked as she strolled into the room along with Harry, Ron, and Draco. Shaking with fear, Hermione told them everything she had heard. Kat grabbed her arm and said urgently, "You're right, we have to tell Dumbledore."

The five friends stood by the stone gargoyle, and as Harry said, "Lemon Drops," it revealed the secret stairway. They rushed up the stairs, and hurtled into Dumbledore's office without knocking. He looked up in surprise as Hermione breathlessly blurted out the unbelievable tale. He frowned, and set his quill down. "Can you prove any of this?" he asked seriously.

Kat winced. She hadn't thought of that. Then Hermione spoke up. "We could use Veritaserum, sir." Dumbledore peered over the top of his glasses at her and said, "We could if we had any left, but I'm afraid that our last bottle was taken for another use." He looked at Kat meaningfully, his blue eyes twinkling. She stiffened as she remembered the remnants of the bottle in her trunk. Kat stood up, saying, "I'll be right back!" Then she set off for Gryffindor at a run.

***********************

Kat quickly located the small glass bottle in the corner of her trunk and rushed back towards Dumbledore's office. As she rounded the corner, however, she ran full into someone going the opposite direction. They collided, and the little glass bottle flew out of Kat's grasp and shattered on the floor.

Kat stared aghast at the mess on the floor, as Felix Malfoy got to his feet. "Oops," he said with a smirk, then trotted off down the hallway. Kat got to her feet, a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. As she stared at the slivers of glass on the floor, she couldn't help thinking that her hopes had just shattered along with the bottle.

Dumbledore looked grave when Kat told him what had happened. "Well, without Veritaserum," he said, "You have no proof. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do." As the friends rose to leave, Dumbledore said wearily, "Wait. Kat, Draco, it's time I told you the prophecy." Hermione cleared her throat. "What about us, sir?" she asked hopefully.

Dumbledore smiled. "You may stay." he said. Then he continued. "Twenty years ago, a prophecy was made. A prophecy about you and Draco. This prophecy had to do with the defeat of the Dark Lord."

"What did it say?" Kat asked, full of curiosity. Dumbledore smiled at her and said, "It was a very short prophecy, and we can only guess about some of it, but the prophecy reads thus:

"Love is strengthened by friendships true

When springtime and ice unite as one.

Eyes of green, and eyes of blue,

The orphaned girl and Death Eater's son.

Their path is cloudy, their future unsure,

But when help is needed, it comes from above.

When He is destroyed by a heart that is pure,

The Lost Ones return to those whom they love."

A chilled silence met his words, then Ron said, "Right, that lot is about as clear as mud!" Hermione sighed. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "Springtime and ice, eyes of green and eyes of blue! Look at their eyes!" Kat looked confused. "But my eyes are hazel," she said. "Not green." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, and some green eyes are also called hazel. It's the same thing!"

"But what's all this stuff about springtime and ice? It doesn't make sense!" said Harry. Hermione sighed again. "What's a color that's normally associated with spring? Green! And ice refers to the shade of Draco's eyes!" Kat nodded, finally beginning to understand.

"Plus, Hermione continued, "You're an orphaned girl! And isn't Draco's father a Death Eater?" Kat felt a chill go down her spine as she looked at Draco and squeezed his hand. "And the last lines?" she asked with a swallow, dreading the answer.

"Easy," Hermione said confidently. "The word 'He' is used all the time to mean Voldemort. Oh, stop it!" she said to Ron who had flinched when she said the Dark Lord's name. She continued briskly, "So, when they say, 'He is destroyed', that obviously means that…" she trailed off as her eyes widened. "That means you're going to kill Voldemort!" she finished with a horrified gasp.